Instead, the Trojans went quietly into the West Texas night, their players jogging off the field in stunned silence and their coach left to stare at his laminated offensive play sheet, which held no answers Monday.

USC, college football's preseason No. 1 team, lost to Georgia Tech, 21-7, in front of 47,922 at Sun Bowl Stadium, and finished the season 7-6, with losses in five of its last six games.

"We can't be 7-6, not at 'SC,'' Coach Lane Kiffin said. "That's not our expectation. That's not why we came here. Obviously we've got some work to do, to get that fixed.''

"Unfinished business'' – USC's one-time motto – turned into unmitigated disaster, with a loss so dreadful that, four months ago, it would have seemed inconceivable to even the most pessimistic fan. USC didn't simply lose to Georgia Tech, a team that needed a waiver just to be bowl-eligible. USC got dominated.

USC's offense generated a total of 205 yards and 10 first downs. They had their lowest scoring output since 2006 and lost three consecutive games for the first time since 2001.

"I never could have imagined that this would happen,'' said receiver Robert Woods, who after the game announced that he would forego his senior season and go to the NFL. "It was just a frustrating year.''

Frustrating doesn't even begin to explain the feelings of USC fans. Think more like anger, wrath and exasperation, much of which will be directed toward Kiffin, whose game plan seemed to be ... what, exactly?

Yes, the Trojans played in uncomfortable environs, including a freezing wind, and they played with a backup quarterback, Max Wittek, who replaced the injured Matt Barkley and didn't rise to the moment. Wittek, in his second career start, completed 14 of 37 attempts for 107 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

"They had a plan for us, and they executed that plan well,'' Wittek said of the Yellow Jackets.

Ironically, USC's defense, which took the bulk of the heat this season, performed well against the unconventional "flexbone'' offense of Georgia Tech (7-7). The Yellow Jackets had only three scoring drives, and of them totaled 1 yard, after a 56-yard punt return.

The Yellow Jackets attempted only 10 passes but rushed for 294 yards. They took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter, on a 1-yard run by Tevin Washington after Jamal Golden's 56-yard punt return, and went up 21-7 early in the fourth quarter on Washington's 17-yard pass to Orwin Smith.

On the other hand, USC's offensive players looked like strangers. Wittek tossed passes over the heads and behind the backs of receivers, and the offensive line missed assignments by the handful. Leading rusher Silas Redd had moments of success, but finished with just 88 yards on 17 carries.

The Trojans kept plugging away – they scored on a 9-yard, second-quarter swing pass from Wittek to Redd – and therein lies the problem. USC had some amazingly talented playmakers on the field – Lee, Woods, Redd, etc. – and should have been able to dazzle, even with a backup quarterback.

Consider that Georgia Tech had played 13 games this season, and the only team to score fewer than 13 points against the Yellow Jackets were the Presbyterian Blue Hose, a school with 1,300 students.

Next season will be a referendum on Kiffin. Athletic Director Pat Haden has shown faith in Kiffin, because of recruiting, because of academics, because of NCAA sanctions, because of the idea that any team can have one bad year, but if it turns into two bad years, Kiffin will face enormous heat.

Can Kiffin get out of his own way? At best, he's a very bright coach, seemingly respected by his players. But too often, Kiffin seems preoccupied with the idea of trying to reinvent football, rather than simply coach it.

His program has become bogged down by silly distractions – changing numbers, deflating balls, sparring with reporters – some of which he had nothing to do with, but all of which have cast him in a negative light.

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